


No more air

by mabomanji



Category: Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-17
Updated: 2014-10-17
Packaged: 2018-02-21 14:12:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2471105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mabomanji/pseuds/mabomanji
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When they crush the carrier into the ocean, Steve is wounded and they're lost at sea, pieces of the wreckage fall all around them as Bucky tries to swim and bring them both to safety.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No more air

**Author's Note:**

> It's a little tiny thing with so many incoherences but I wanted to see them let the other help.

He lifts the body against him, nearly disappearing under water, pieces of metal are flying by from the explosion and almost hitting them every second. He can hear them whistle in the air just like bullets or shrapnels during the war.  
He tightens his grip on Steve, takes a deep breath and after looking at the sun barely visible with all the smoke, he sets his course towards town.  
He tries to smooth his movements but the ache in his leg is starting to grow, he can feel the salt of the sea irritating his wound, making it itchy. He doesn’t have much time to think about it, huge parts of the aircraft carrier are finally landing on the sea, producing great waves that cover the two little men lost in this wreckage.  
Bucky fights his way back up everytime, gulping tons of litres of water in the process, barely holding his friend. He has to do this everytime a new piece of the wreckage falls down in the sea, and the aricraft carrier was huge. It’s going to take a while to get out of the dangerous zone and he just focuses on the work at hand, repeating everything. Wave, drown, swim towards the surface, gulp air and water at the same time, swim towards the city. Hard to do when his lungs seem to be filling with blood from his wounds each time he takes his breath.  
Now he can see the use of his metallic arm, how the repetition doesn’t tire it at all, how it allows him to have a good speed while taking Steve back to safety. He just focuses on his body, making sure he always has his head out of the water even when Bucky is drowning underneath him.  
He feels Steve stir from unconsciousness, trying to move away but he grips him more tightly, preventing him from getting away. “Don’t move… Steve…” He gulps more water, eyes more wreckage falling down and tries to get away from them before they land in the sea.  
“Bucky ? Let me swim Bucky !  
\- No you’ve got serious wounds…” He tries to breathe between every movement he makes swimming “...just rest for now… i’ll bring you back…  
\- But i heal fast, you don’t have to do this !  
\- On the contrary !...” he disappears a moment under a wave “... i’ll need you to be fully recovered... when we reach land... i won’t have much... strength left then…”  
The sound logic of it makes Steve relax in his arms, trying to float as much as he can to help his friend bring him back.  
Bucky gets into a fast pace, now clear of the wreckage, and focus on his body movements so that he will keep this rythm as much as he can. He looks at the now clear blue sky above their heads, not a single cloud to see. He sees the endless ocean, of a darker blue than the sky, and the shiny gold of Steve’s hair. Feeling the weight of him reassures and frightens him at the same time. He can’t fail otherwise they’ll both drown.

Swimming is endless, Bucky is knackered but he still goes on only thinking about Steve. His vision is blurry and his breath is uneven but he finally sees a pontoon on the corner of his eyes, swimming a little bit faster now that he can see his goal. He makes a lot of waves while moving his metallic arm, not caring about efficiency now but sprinting in the last meters.  
They finally reach the pontoon and Bucky grips the wood in one hand, pushing Steve up, making sure he’s safe on top of it and then he relaxes all his muscles and drowns immediately.  
Steve’s hand catches him quickly as he is head underwater and he pulls him unceremoniously in a huge display of desperate strength. He lies there out of breath, his breathing is too heavy and makes an ominous noise every time he inhales. He can’t seem to get his breathing calmed. The sight of this frightens Steve who helps him up at once and makes him walk but cannot hold him straight. All of Bucky’s strength is gone and hearing him gasping for air is beginning to seriously scare the hell ouf of Steve. Stopped in the middle of the way, unable to make him move again he just takes him in his arms and lifts him up, starting running toward safety and most of all a place to help Bucky recover.  
He’s recovered now from his wounds, the swimming took so much time he had plenty to heal. He runs fast but with a body in his arms it’s a little trickier. Suddenly he feels Bucky’s hand pushing his chest, making him stop.  
“What is it ?  
-.... stop…. running….” he still fights for his breath, now almost hyperventilating “...take...cab…  
\- We don’t have time Bucky, it’ll be faster if i run !” He starts walking again but feels the pressure of Bucky’s hand again and stops, looking at him. The vision of his friend so pale and barely breathing pains him beyond words. He presses his lips together in a thin line, he can’t get emotional right now, he has to help him.  
“...no…save… strength...take...cab!” His will is still strong and he sends a intense look at Steve, trying to make sure he does what he says. Steve hesitates, he feels it’s his duty to run and save him but he knows his friend is right, a cab will be as fast now, especially since he’s carrying him.  
He goes immediately on the street and yells at the first cab he finds with so much determination actually two cabs stop in front of him. He gets in quickly, trying to fit Bucky as softly as he can in the car. He then rests, letting the cab driver who recognized him drive faster than ever.  
The weird sound of Bucky’s difficult breathing is even worse in a closed environnement. Steve has time to look closely at his friend, see him fight to stay lucid and awake, trying to let his body calm down and get his breath back but it’s no use, he’s beyond relaxation now he needs medication. His head rests on Steve’s shoulder and he looks like he enjoys a tiny little bit this break, for him and for his friend.  
“I might pass out any time now, i feel light and cold”  
Steve just tries to stay as calm as possible, letting his friend cope with his breathing trouble, allowing him reassurance, staying as close as he can, he takes his hand and keeps it all along. “It’s alright i got you buddy”  
Once they’ve reached the Avengers tower, Steve helps Bucky out of the car, squeezing his arms a little bit too hard, scared of losing him now. He tries to lift him up again in his arms but Bucky refuses and forces him to just help him walk until they reach the lab.  
He lies on one of the beds, breathing awfully wrong, frowning ceaselessly.  
“Steve… go…  
\- No i’ll stay with you !  
\- Go !... They need… intel now…. !”  
Steve can’t move a finger he feels his body willing to stay and it’s like he can’t fight against his own self.  
“Go ! Now !” Bucky rises a bit and pushes his arm away, trying to make him move but failing completely since he can’t breathe properly. The scientists are already taking care of him and Steve is reluctantly pushed back anyway. He tries to look at Bucky until the very last moment when the door of the lab closes on him, letting him alone in the corridor.

After an endless meeting Steve can finally come back check on Bucky several hours later. He gets close to his bed and sees him wake up from his sleep, still pale but not looking as terrible as he did before. The doctors whisper to him that everything is alright. Seeing him breathe calmly is quite astonishing, he forgot that he could be that peaceful. “Steve ?  
\- I’m here buddy, i’m going to take you back to your place.”  
Steve carries him in his arms and this time Bucky doesn’t say a word, his eyes are half closed, still tired beyond words, he just looks at his friend, so fierce and strong and he feels safe just by being close to him. He burries his head in his neck, feeling soothed by his familiar smell.  
Steve puts him in his bed and waits for him to actually fall asleep just two seconds after he’s touched the mattress.   
He leans on Bucky and kiss him on the forehead, taking his time, lips brushing his skin.  
“Next time don’t try to kill yourself to save me, i won’t survive this another time.”


End file.
